Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Praying, Centering on I AM
Today I was pleased to consider one of the most significant Names of God I know of, in either the New Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures. My word—Name of God for today is I AM.
This Name comes from Exodus 3, where Moses is herding sheep on the mountain in the Sinai Peninsula. He sees a burning bush, burning without being consumed. God speaks to Moses out of the bush. During the conversation, Moses asks God for God’s name. “I AM” is the response.
The Name of God is more than a static “I am,” one time only. Instead, it encompasses a whole lot more. “I AM” goes beyond time. Translated and amplified, Exodus 3:14 states “And God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am and What I Am, and I Will Be What I Will Be; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I Am has sent me to you!”
When I was praying earlier, I had one of my occasional mind-pictures. Sort of like on a video screen in my head. I saw the hillside in the mountains. I saw the burning bush. And, I saw the back of Moses (not his face), sinking to his knees. He had already taken off his sandals and tossed them aside. Moses’ herd was forgotten, for the moment. He was totally focused on this Burning Bush and the Voice that came from it.
This concept of “I AM” transcends time, and space, and enters eternity itself.
Isn’t that what God does? Transcend time and space, breaking through into eternity? Just as God is more than just male, more than just female, God transcends those human constructs. God is more than. God is both/and. God is the All in All. God was, and is, and is to come. My puny human brain cannot even comprehend or even conceptualize such a thing. All that comes to me is a feeble “wow!” That just about covers it. Wow.
Dear God, awesome and great I AM, as I consider this particular Name of Yours, I feel absolutely inadequate. Almost like Isaiah when he had his vision of the Temple. Dear God, thank You for revealing Yourself in this way. Almost coming down to humans’ level. Help me to keep on learning about You, and praying to You. In Jesus’ mighty and powerful Name I pray, amen.
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